Fast exchange device for printing rollers of printing machines



Nov. 13, 1962 KARL-HEINZ LIESSEM FAST EXCHANGE DEVICE FOR PRINTING ROLLERS .OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 2'7, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-3 Nov. 13, 1962 KARL-HEINZ LIESSEM 3,063,368

FAST EXCHANGE DEVICE FOR PRINTING ROLLERS OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-4 FIG-8 Nov. 13, 1962 KARL-HEINZ LIESSEM 3,063,368

FAST EXCHANGE DEVICE FOR PRINTING ROLLERS 0F PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG-5 INV EN TOR. 6 0r/- 6: ing! 1,: s; e m

KARL- FAST EXCHANGE OF Filed July 27, 1960 Nov. 13, 1962 HEINZ LIESSEM 3,063,368

DEVICE FOR PRINTING ROLLERS PRINTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Uiliifi States The present invention relates to roller printing machines, particularly for textiles, and a fast exchange arrangement for the printing rollers of such a printing machine. v

When operating roller printing machines in textile processing plants, the long time required when changing a printing design is so time consuming and expensive that a resetting of a roller printing machine for a new design is only economical when considerable yardage, as for instance from 10,000 to 20,000 yards, is involved.

The fact that heretofore considerable time was necessary to set a roller printing machine for a new design was due to the necessity of removing the printing rollers in the machine with their auxiliary devices, and cleaning the removed equipment whereupon the parts had to be inserted again into the printing machine with other rollers. It was furthermore necessary to readjust all auxiliary devices, such as doctor blades, dye containers, and dye rollers. While a closed design of a pressure unit is known, the rigid connection of the parts to each other has not heretofore permitted proper relative adjustment of the parts. In particular, a highly effective seal is needed between the doctor blade and the lateral walls of the container.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a fast exchange arrangement for printing rollers of roller printing machines, which will overcome the above mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fast exchange arrangement for printing rollers of roller printing machines, which will cut the exchange time for the printing rollers down to a minimum, possibly below one hour, so that it will also be economic to reset and equip a textile roller printing machine for short yardage and even for patterns.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the principal elements of a roller printing machine.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the right-hand upper printing roller unit.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 but on a larger scale than that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 represents a section taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a carriage for the printing roller units with built-in cleaning system.

FIG. 9 illustrates how the entire printing roller unit is inserted into the printing machine.

General Arrangement The fast exchange arrangement for printing rollers of textile printing machines according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the printing rollers, the dye container, the doctor blade, the counter blade, and further accessories are combined in a unitary printing roller unit, all of said parts being completely adjusted relative to each other prior to the insertion into the printing machine so that when a change in the design has to 3,053,358 Patented Nov. 13., 1962 be effected, it will merely be necessary to remove the previously employed units and replace the same by the new printing roller units. The only additional step necessary consists in adjusting the pressure at which the rollers press against the main cylinder, a step which is to be taken anyhow when setting the machine.

Structural Arrangement Referring now to the drawings in detail and FIG. 1 thereof in particular, the printing rollers 2, for instance six, are arranged around a cylinder 1. The goods to be printed pass between the printing rollers 2 and cylinder 1 together with a printing cloth and an additional cloth while moving in the direction of the arrows A. The printing rollers 2 together with the dye containers 9 and doctor blades .12 (see FIGS. 2 to 6) form structural units as clearly shown in the drawings while the dye containers occupy different positions relative to the cylinder 1 or to the horizontal plane as is clearly evident from FIG. 1.

The printing roller units will now be described in detail in connection with FIGS. 2 to 7 and 9. As will be seen from these figures, the dye container 9 comprises a sheet metal bowl 9a only partially surrounding the printing roller 2 which latter is keyed to the printing roller shaft 8. The bowl 9a is provided with longitudinal ribs 310 for stiffening said bowl. For purposes of sealing the dye container 9 with regard to the printing roller 2 on one side thereof, there is provided a counter blade '11 which may consist of any suitable material, for instance of synthetic material. The said counter blade 11 is adjustable by any standard means. If desired, at this point also further auxiliary means, as for instance a cleaning brush 22, may be provided for stripping off textile snarls or the like from the respective printing rollers. Along the longitudinal edge a sealing relative to the printing roller is effected by the doctor blade 12 which is fastened to a blade rail 13 and by means of a stud 14 is rotatably journalled in a manner known per se in a blade adjusting device 15, 16. Inasmuch as the blade forms by itself a unit and on the other hand has to carry out an oscillating transverse movement, it is required that the doctor blade has to be connected in a liquid-tight manner with the upper edge of the dye container 9 by an elastic means. This means comprises a highly elastic foil 17 which is fastened to the blade and is fastened at the upper end of the dye container for instance by an adhesive.

The dye container chamber confined by the doctor blade 12, counter blade 11 and bowl 9a has to be sealed at the end faces. This is effected by walls 20 which are so shaped as to fit the thus formed dye container. Ac-' cording to a further feature of the present invention, the complete seal of said side walls is effected by pneumatic diaphragms 23 which are arranged on the circumference of the side walls 20 and may be inflated for instance by compressed air. In this way, the entire dye container chamber will be sealed in such a way that the liquid in said container will be completely enclosed even when the doctor blade hangs downwardly as is the case for instance with the two lowermost doctor blades of FIG. 1. The inflation of the pneumatic sealing device is effected through connections 24- adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air.

The filling-in of the dye into the dye containers may be effected in a manner known per se by pumping the dye through hoses or pouring the dye into funnels 25 (FIGQ6) respectively connected to the bowls 9a. Of course, the location of the funnels on the bowls 9a varies depending on the particular location at which the pressure roller is to be mounted with regard to cylinder 1.

For purposes of combining the dye container 9 with the respective pressure roller 2 with a pressure unit, the dye container is, by means of adjusting elements 19 and by means of bearing sleeve 18, journalled on stud 9 of the printing roller 2. In this way, a fixed relative connection is created between the printing roller 2 and the respective dye container pertaining thereto together with all other required members.

inasmuch as, as mentioned above, the pressure roller unit will, depending on its relative position with regard to the cylinder 1, vary in its suspension with regard to the horizontal plane, it is necessary that these positions be clearly defined and determined on the pressure roller frame. To this end, a cam 21 is mounted on the side walls of the dye container, said cams resting on abutment surfaces 22 of the machine frame.

The present invention can most effectively be made use of by having ready at hand a replacement set of pressure roller units which is cleaned and properly adjusted prior to a pressure roller change and which is in its ready position on a corresponding carriage. Such carriage may in conformity with FIG. 8 also be provided with a cleaning mechanism comprising a correspondingly large storage container 29 for the cleaning fluid, a liquid pump 30 and a hose 31. The pressure roller units removed from the respective printing machine during roller exchange will then be deposited on said carriage and will be successively cleaned from top to bottom and will be adjusted anew.

'FIG. 9 illustrates how the prepared and adjusted unit is placed into the guiding and supporting arms 34 of the printing machine. As soon as the axle studs 32 of the respective printing rollers 2 are located in front of the bearing members 33 of the present device, the present device is in any convenient manner displaced until the printing rollers engage the main cylinder 1. Thereupon, the printing diaphragm 35 is subjected to pneumatic pressure, and the printing machine is ready for operation.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of'the appended claims.

Thus, the application fully applies if the dye containers are designed as open troughs which are located horizontally below the pressure rollers. Naturally, also heretofore known units with dye applying and distributing rollers may be employed. However, such arrangement increases the weight of the unit considerably so that the structure specifically described in the present application with a dye container closed on all sides is to be considered preferable.

I claim:

1. In a roller printing machine, especially for printing textiles and having a cylinder with a printing roller adjacent thereto; a dye container associated with the printing roller, a doctor blade and a counter blade carried by the dye container and operatively associated with the printing roller, said roller and dye container and doctor and counter blades being interconnected to form a single unit, means for detachably mounting said unit in operative association with said cylinder whereby the units can be interchanged in their entirety, and means carried by said unit for sealing the unit to the printing roller comprising flexible inflatable means and means for inflating said inflatable means.

2. A roller printing machine, especially for the printing of textiles, a main cylinder about which the material to be printed passes, a printing roller adjacent the cylinder, a dye container adjacent the printing roller and on which the printing roller is journalled, a doctor blade on the container at one side engaging the roller, a counter blade on the container at the other side engaging the roller, the said printing roller being journalled on the dye container by adjustable means, means detachably supporting said dye container adjacent the cylinder to place the printing roller in operative relation with said cylinder, said dye container being detachable for being replaced by another dye container having another printing roll, at least the end walls of said container being shaped to fit about the said roller in spaced relation thereto, an inflatable seal carried by each said end wall expansible into sealing engagement with said roller, and means for supplying a gaseous medium under pressure to said seals.

3. A roller printing machine especially for textile material having a cylinder about which the material to be printed passes, a printing roller in pressure engagement with said cylinder for printing textile materials passing around the cylinder, a dye container extending partway around the printing roller and having an outer wall, a doctor blade mounted on one side of the container on said outer wall and engaging the periphery of the printing roller, a counter blade on the other side of the dye container on said outer wall also engaging the periphery of the printing roller, said blades forming a seal against the roller, said container together with the printing roller journalled therein and the said blades ibeing removable from the printer and instal able therein as a single preadjusted unit, end walls for said container fitted between said outer wall and said roller, an expansible hollow seal element about the periphery of each end wall, and means carried by each end wall for inflating the seal element thereon.

4. A roller printing machine according to claim 3 in which the said doctor blade is reciprocable axially of the printing roller and the dye container and is also sealingly engaged by said seal elements, and an elastic member attached to the outer wall of the dye container adjacent the doctor blade and bearing against the doctor blade to maintain a seal between said outer wall of the dye container and the doctor blade during reciprocation of the said doctor blade.

5. A roller printing machine according to claim 3 in which said inflatable seal elements on the end walls not only sealingly engage said outer wall thereof and of the printing roller but also seal between said end walls and said counter blade and the doctor blade thereby efiecting the entire sealing of said outer wall against the said blades and the said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,042,060 Kaiser May 26, 1936 2,151,960 Ericksson Mar. 28, 1939 2,435,791 Luehrs Feb. 10, 1948 2,717,550 Behringer Sept. 13, 1955 2,792,781 Kaldschmidt May 21, 1957 2,821,913 Johnson Feb. 4, 1958 

